Norah Jones surprises sold-out crowd at Mile of Music festival

The Mile of Music festival, showcasing 100 original artists at over 30 venues, began its four-day takeover of downtown Appleton this past Thursday. On Friday night, hundreds of people filled Lawrence Memorial Chapel to its 1,148 capacity to see Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons. Chisel pulled double-duty that night, serving as headliner and music curator of the Mile of Music event.

The show opened with a local music teacher leading the audience in four rounds of vocal and beat harmonies, setting the tone for the self-proclaimed “handcrafted artisan festival." Next up was the Boston-based Hillary Reynolds Band. The folk pop group, fronted by Fox Valley native Hillary Reynolds, received a standing ovation for their eight song set featuring their latest single “Crossing the Line."

Rumors of a Grammy artist sighting peaked as The Candles and Invisible Man took the stage, both composed of members who recently finished a 13-month gig playing back-up for Norah Jones on her “Little Broken Hearts” tour. A mixture of applause and whispers reverbed off the Chapel walls as a petite brunette joined Invisible Man on stage, her face eclipsed by a beige hat. Within seconds, the jazz infused voice of Norah Jones settled all skepticism in the room. The award-winning artist played the perfect complement to the show, supplying not just vocals, but keyboard, violin and guitar accompaniment as well -- enhancing each performance without drawing the spotlight from the scheduled acts.

Up next, Adriel Denae, long-time keyboardist, vocalist and Wandering Son to Cory Chisel, performed as a solo act before joining Chisel to close out the night. Her signature foggy voice permeated the venue with haunted tales, performing a more simplistic collection than what fans are used to hearing from stage right.

After a quick three-song tease, Chisel joined Denae and the duo slipped into crowd favorites from the latest record “This Is How It Goes” and “I’ve Been Accused”. Another highlight was the rarely played “Never Meant to Love You;" a song Chisel dedicated that night to his adopted hometown, Appleton, Wis. Jones rejoined for three songs, the last being a cover of Gram Parson’s “Hickory Wind," a collaboration the tour mates perfected on the road last fall.

Chisel and Denae closed the night with the bare bones gem “In the Deep End." Stripped of instruments, save an acoustic guitar, the pair shared center mic creating an intimate duet that made each audience member feel like they were the only ones in the room, no small feat for a sold out venue.

With a successful first year under wraps, the proceeds from the Mile of Music Festival will be split into two funds: a Mile of Music Education Fund and a Creative Downtown Fund. Both dedicated to keeping downtown Appleton a safe and creative environment to explore.